Chapter 30 (1/2)
Translator: Luk2048
”Hey, what's wrong with you suddenly? Your eyes look scary. Plus, there's that whole 'sinking the town' deal.”
”I am a water demon―― I thrive on humans' bottomless despair――”
”It's no good. Maybe she respects Rēko too much.”
I haven't seen such sudden change since Rēko's awakening. Whether it was her remarks or lack of judgement, they both were similar. I hunched my body and drew near her face.
”Wake up, Lady Saintess. I doubt anything good is waiting for you down this road. You're idolized by everyone in this town, so don't purposely go and make them all draw back.”
”Sink… Mud… Let all and everything be swallowed.”
”Haah, she really went all-out this time. I wonder what's wrong with her.”
Yet, even while so, I still had some composure left. Even though she fell into darkness, in comparison to Rēko, its severity was much lower. Frankly? It lacked vigour. The time when Ariante was playing the Demon King's subordinate was more terrifying.
”For now, I guess I'll take her to Rēko and have her persuade Lady Saintess. Once she's warned by the object of her wors.h.i.+p, she should open her eyes.”
”Kukuku… Writhe within my mire, foolish humans…”
I grabbed Lady Saintess with my teeth by the collar and pa.s.sed through the door with her dangling from my mouth. The second my feet stepped on the door's boundary, I got sucked in rapidly and flew out of the spring like a fountain. I barely avoided letting go of Lady Saintess.
”Ouch.”
I arrived with a splash. Good thing the ground had turned into soft mud.
”Watch… This is the mire of the Abyss… It will drag you all the way down to h.e.l.l…”
I checked my feet. It was a normal mud. It wasn't anything nearly as bad as Lady Saintess had said. I wasn't sinking much, even with the weight of my large build. If one didn't move at all, he'd go down just a little bit, but anyone could break free by taking a single step. Its stickiness also wasn't too bad. It was clear, however, that anyone could see the small damage dealt to structures, which couldn't move on their own. Although the sinking would stop at a certain depth, the slowly listing private houses probably couldn't avoid being submerged up to the first floor. The repair costs seemed to be increasing.
I put Lady Saintess on the ground. Instead of standing on her feet, she just had simply toppled sideways and became half submerged in mud.
”Hey, listen. You can't do something like this simply because you were in the mood. Haven't the crops just been planted? If you make the ground muddy like this, their roots will rot.”
”Everything will sink into the dark depths of the earth…”
”Haah, even after all this it's still useless. There's no helping it.”
I inhaled in a hurry and shouted randomly while surveying my surroundings.
”He―ey, Rēko. If you're somewhere close, come here for a second.”
At that moment, enormous jet-black wings spread in the sky at the outskirts of town. It was a flight far exceeding the speed of sound. The owner of those wings approached instantaneously, while pulling along a ring of clouds created by the shockwave.
”I have made all haste to join you, Evil Dragon Lord.”
Rēko kneeled, folding her wings. Let's not summon her thoughtlessly from now on, I firmly vowed in my heart.
I thought to ask her to reform Lady Saintess, but I first inquired about what was bugging me.
”Ah, well. First of all, Rēko, did anything strange happen when I wasn't around?”
”Excluding this mud, there wasn't much. I made the earnest effort to play with children.”
”Ah, I see. I'm glad. What game did you try to play with them?”
”I was searching for a docile dragon, called Doradora, since it looked like the children wanted to feed him.”
I broke out in a cold sweat.
”A, aah―… Yeah. And what happened? Does it look like you'll find him?”
”I have already secured a dragon fitting the description.”
I wonder what dragon exactly had the misfortune to be caught. Anyway, I can't do much more than say I'm sorry.
”I wanted to cut off his head and use it for the feeding game―― however, at that time the town turned into the current state of affairs. I decided it's not the time to play and discontinued it temporarily.”
”Wow, that's some game alright. Was that supposed to be a heathen ritual?”
Despite trying to maintain my calm mental state, my legs were trembling like those of a fawn. That was because, if I was to make one wrong step, my future would be that very spectacle of playing with my head like a toy. I was really glad she stopped. After an experience like that, someone's going to have to tend to the captured dragon's mind.
”Incidentally, Evil Dragon Lord. The one laying there, is that the Saintess?”
”Ah, that's right. Because of her, there's a thing I need to ask you for.”
”Understood.”
”Sheathe your dagger.”
She didn't understand at all. She was clearly planning to finish her off.
”I don't really know how to say it, but that child really respects―― err, rather, she'd like to become friends with you.”
Rēko made an extremely disgusted face. She even indignantly pouted a little.